92 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
IRecent publications. 
A BUNCH OF “NOVELTIES.” 
Acting State Entomologist E. P. Felt, of Albany, has prepared a 
New York State Museum bulletin on the elm leaf beetle in New York 
State. 
The official proceedings of the Omaha convention of the American 
Association of Nurserymen have been issued by Secretary Seager. 
The nurserymen’s telegraphic code is included. 
Octave Doin, Paris, France, has published in pamphlet form three 
papers by prominent authors read at the last meeting of the French 
Society of Chrysanthenum Growers, on the diseases and parasites, the 
fructification and the fertilizers and composts for chrysanthenums. 
They are timely papers on these subjects. 
In garden dictionaries and some other works may be found brief 
descriptions of plants, but separate treatises upon a certain variety are 
not common. The well-known horticultural editor and publisher, 
Octave Doin, of Paris, is furnishing a valuable collection of such 
treatises in his “Library of Horticulture and Gardening.” We have 
referred to several of these works, each written by a recognized expert 
on the subject discussed. Three more of the little volumes have come 
to hand. One of these devotes 114 pages to culture of Clematis and 
the remainder of the book to Honeysuckles, Trumpet and Passion flow¬ 
ers and other climbers. In another volume Jules Rudolph writes on 
the Caladium, Anthurium, Alocasia, etc. The third volume is entitled 
“ Practical Essays on the Chemistry of Horticulture.” This is of gen¬ 
eral interest. Its importance is indicated by the subjects discussed, 
viz ; Physical and chemical properties of the soil, the water, fertili. 
zers, lime, chalk, sulphur, plaster etc. Each 2 fcs. Paris, 8 Place de 
l’Odeon: Octave Doin. 
The third volume of the very valuable work by Dr. N. L. Britton 
and Hon. Addison Brown, entitled “An Illustrated Flora of the North, 
era United States, Canada and the British Possessions,” has been issued 
by the publishers, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. The praise 
which the first two volumes received has been fully warranted as 
shown by the completion of the work. For comprehensiveness, 
clearness, accuracy and excellence of typographical appearance it is 
unsurpassed. The descriptions are uniformly clear and practical and 
the illustrations present in the least possible space all the features of a 
variety needed to identify it. The number of species figured in the 
whole work is 4,102, comprising 177 families and 1,108 genera. Eighty- 
one of these species, mostly western, being new determinations or new 
discoveries, made while the work was in progress and too late for in¬ 
sertion in their proper places are figured in the appendix. These being 
all well established species within the area defined, up to January 
1898, it will be seen that the work is fully up to date and thoroughly 
covers the field. Dr. Britton has prepared a key of the orders and 
families. A glossary of the special botanical terms used has been pro¬ 
vided, followed by a complete general index of all the Latin names, in¬ 
cluding synonyms. The use of the natural method upon which the key 
is elaborated has necessitated a considerable number of exceptions to 
statements owing to the varying degree of development of floral organs 
in the derivation of plants from their ancestors; these exceptions are 
noted either under the headings or by cross references. Judge Brown 
has compiled a list of all the popular English names. It embraces alj 
our plant names commonly used by pharmacists, horticulturists and 
plant collectors, or likely to be met with in botanical or current litera¬ 
ture. No similar compilation of American plant-names has hitherto 
been published. Many of them are not to be found in any general dic¬ 
tionary. To the mass of the people this index is practically indispen¬ 
sable foi the identification of plants. The entire work continually im¬ 
presses the reader by reason of the great amount of original work, the 
extreme care with which it has been compiled and the evidence that it 
is thoroughly up to date. Space does not permit even reference to all 
the excellent features. The three volumes issued in 1896,1897 and 1898 
contain 1,848 pages and over 4,000 illustrations. The work is in the 
fiont rank of those publications which will remain as monuments to the 
wonderful progress of botanical research and scientific accuracy. 
Cloth. Royal 8 vo. $8 per vol. New York : Charles Scribner’s 
Sons. 
A Michigan newspaper gravely states that a certain orchard- 
ist has been experimenting to find a new way to grow potatoes, 
and this spring grafted a poplar tree with potato peelings. He 
now (late April) has a fine crop of new potatoes, already the 
size of small goose eggs, and the tree promises to yield about 
3}^ bushels. The orchardist expects to graft all his trees in 
this manner, asserting that this way of raising potatoes will do 
away with the potato bug. 
A New York newspaper has given the following directions 
for growing seedless grapes : “ Bend the cane to the ground, 
and cover say ten inches of its length with soil to a depth of a 
few inches. Fasten it in this position. The cane will make 
root at the bend and that portion growing beyond will pro¬ 
duce seedless grapes.” 
A western paper says : “Cherries without stones have been 
produced in France by the following method : In the spring, 
before the circulation of the sap, a young seedling cherry tree 
is split from the upper extremity down to the fork of its roots ; 
then, by means of a piece of wood in the form of a spatula, the 
pith is carefully removed from the tree in such a manner as to 
avoid any excoriation, or other injury ; a knife is used only for 
commencing the split. Afterwards the two sections are 
brought together and tied with woolen, care being taken to 
close hermetically with clay the whole length of the cleft. The 
sap soon reunites the separted portions of the tree, and two 
years afterwards cherries are produced of the usual appear¬ 
ance, but instead of stones there will only be small soft 
pellicles.” 
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To Everywhere \\^CSt ! 
IS THE BEST LINE. 
The Great Cities oiL 
Northwest—West—Southwest 
Reached quickly and comfortably in up-to-date through Pullman 
Sleepers and Free Reclining' Chair Cars operated on fast trains. 
Tourists en route to the resorts of the Rocky Mountains, to California, 
the North Pacific Coast or to the 
GREAT TRANS-MISSISSIPPI EXPOSITION 
At Omaha, Neb., 
should write the undersigned for rates, folders and literature. 
5 Chas. Kennedy, G.E P.A., Jno. Sebastian, G. P. A., 2 
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